Abdominoplasty
Having a well-defined silhouette is one of the reasons people seek abdominoplasty, a surgery that treats the contour of the abdomen and corrects problems such as diastasis and umbilical hernias. This procedure can be combined with conventional liposuction or one of its different modalities such as HD Lipo (the abdominal muscles are clearly visible), Soft Lipo (the abdominal muscles have a softer contour) or Lipofilling (uses the removed fat to add volume to other parts of the body such as the buttocks and breasts) to accentuate the contour. Contrary to what some people think, abdominoplasty is not a surgery for weight loss, despite the removal of skin and fat from the region.
Indication
Abdominal surgery is indicated for men and women who have sagging skin, excess skin or abdominal fat, in addition to correcting changes in the abdominal muscle layer of women who have been pregnant or people who have undergone a weight loss process and have muscle stretching (diastasis) and excess skin, as occurs in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. This procedure is not indicated for weight loss.
What is the surgery like?
The surgery can be performed under general anesthesia with or without epidural/spinal anesthesia. This procedure lasts two to three hours and the patient remains hospitalized for one day.
When indicated, it can be performed using a number of different techniques, such as:
• Classic abdominoplasty: the surgery involves the entire abdomen.
• Mini-abdominoplasty: the surgery involves the lower region of the abdomen, that is, below the umbilical scar.
• Lipo-abdominoplasty: this is the combination of classic abdominoplasty with liposuction to remove localized fat, providing a superior result.
• Anchor abdominoplasty: indicated for large amounts of excess abdominal skin in which classic abdominoplasty will not be sufficient to satisfactorily correct abdominal sagging.
Postoperative
If you want to undergo abdominoplasty, it is very important to follow your doctor's instructions and take certain precautions in the post-operative period. Below are the eight main ones to help you organize your routine once you have opted for your abdominal surgery:
It is normal for swelling and bruises to occur in the region, especially when liposuction is necessary.
The use of an abdominal drain may be indicated in some cases to prevent and avoid the accumulation of fluid at the surgical site.
Lymphatic drainage is highly recommended (if not mandatory for good post-operative progress).
Use special compression garments or belts for the operated region daily for at least 30 days. In hot weather, this may be uncomfortable for some people, so check the appropriate time to perform your surgery.
For 7 to 14 days, the torso should be kept flexed (bent) to avoid tension on the surgical scar.
After one month of surgery, you can gradually return to your routine activities.
For the three months following surgery, you should avoid sun exposure to prevent skin blemishes.
Depending on the patient's progress, there may be some variation in the periods highlighted above.
Return to activities
After one month of surgery, you can gradually return to your routine activities, including physical activity. For at least three months after surgery, you should avoid sun exposure to avoid scarring.
Does abdominoplasty remove stretch marks?
Unwanted stretch marks are the result of excessive stretching of the skin due to weight gain, pregnancy, growth spurts in adolescents, hypertrophy (with rapid muscle gain), or even side effects of medication.
Stretch marks occur when collagen fibers break and form those paths in the skin that are initially red (with an inflammatory reaction) and later turn white (without an inflammatory reaction).
In abdominal surgery, a large portion of stretch marks can be removed as long as they are below the umbilical scar.
Do I need to lose weight to have an abdominoplasty?
It is important to be within the ideal weight range to be able to undergo surgery and reduce the risks of surgery. Classic abdominoplasty or mini abdominoplasty are surgeries designed to correct the contour of the abdomen in order to reduce measurements and firm up the region.
The procedure mainly removes excess skin (and can even remove a large amount of stretch marks and other previous abdominal scars) and reshapes the muscle layer of the abdomen.
This surgery is often associated with Liposuction, which is a procedure capable of defining contours by removing fat from the region.
What does the belly button look like after abdominoplasty?
Some people have the impression that the belly button will not stay in place after abdominoplasty, it will stay in place!
When the belly is flabby, the sensation is that the belly button is low, since it is somewhat hidden between the folds of fat.
After abdominoplasty, with the removal of excess skin and fat from the region, the sensation is that it is high. In truth, the belly button is an immobile structure, since it is fixed to the rectus abdominis muscles, so the perception of whether it is higher or lower is influenced by the flabbiness.
Despite being a small structure, it is important that the final result is beautiful for the success of the surgery.